Should I ask the therapist to do ultrasound on my bicep where it's swollen and hurts?

[Jake LaMotta]

7 weeks after my torn pec surgery, my chest feels OK, but my bicep is still swollen and hurts as a result of surgery.

What if I had my PT use ultrasound on the area of the bicep that is swollen and hurts? Would that be a good idea? I was thinking it would be good seeing that ultrasound increases blood flow and reduces inflammation.

So next time I go to PT should I ask the therapist to do ultrasound on my bicep where it's swollen and hurts?

 

[Magnum]

Jake, if your bicep is hurting then you need to go back to the DR. It is possible that you have a bone infection. Other than that you need to be patient. There is an excellent chance that you will recover fully but it is gong to take a good six months. IT wll take some time to return to normal. You need to be PATIENT.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

A bone infection!? Why do you think I have a bone infection?

Oh Christ, is this hell ever gonna end?

 

[BigBoyJ]

I think you've set a new world record on the number of threads created about the same injury.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

I think you've set a new world record on the number of threads created about the same injury.

LOL You're right! I wish I had better things to post about but unfortunatly this injury has put a dark cloud over my summer.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

But the question still stands:

Next time I go to PT should I ask the therapist to do ultrasound on my bicep where it's swollen and hurts? Could doing this help the pain and inflammation?

 

[BrooklynBB]

I think you've set a new world record on the number of threads created about the same injury.

LOL.. I was thinking the same thing.

Jake - I feel really bad about your injury and I know you're searching for the answers...

But if you can, can you just bump up your previous threads? You have alot of similar ones that are asking basically the same thing, and when you don't get your answer in a day or two, you start a new thread. It's interesting reading about what you're going through and the suggestions, but it's getting annoying to keep seeing new threads about the same thing.

Not only that, but in this thread THREE TIMES you asked the exact same question - twice in your first post and again just above this one. Patience is a virtue. Your answers will be found if you give it time and be patient.

My suggestion is that you seek out a sports therapist who will be able to guide you alot better than 90% of us posting here. I'm sure there are some qualified sports therapists in your area who will be able to reccomend to you exactly what to do and how to approach your injuries, especially post surgery, since rehab is very important at this time.

Why not do that, then come back and post up what the suggestions were?

 

[Jake LaMotta]

First off I want to apologize if I aggravated or annoyed people. This is truly a depressing and frustrating time in my life and I fell helpless. I'm just looking for advice from people who have been through this nightmare before or know someone who has. And you guys are all intelligent smart people who know about weightlifting, injuries, rehab, etc. You guys actually hit the weights and have been there before. Put yourself in my shoes...not knowing if I will ever be as big and strong again...not knowing if I will ever be able to box again...not knowing if this pain in my arm will ever go away..not knowing if this will get retorn or not the first time I lift heavy. These are all bad thoughts I'm having.

And as far as me asking my doctor and PT stuff...the first doctor I went to didn't even think I ruptured this...he thought it was just a strain...and my first PT agreed with him! Even though my second doctor was alot better and did the surgery I still have a hard time trusting these "professionals".

Not to mention I am worried that the fact that my doctor only reattached 80% of the tendon will prevent me from ever getting big and strong again.

And as far as my physical therapist, he's a very nice guy but he is 60 years old and weights 120 lbs. I may be wrong but I really don't think he was ever a participant in any of the Mr. Olympia's. Not to mention the stuff he has me doing (isometrics, dumbell raises, stretching, etc.) I can do on my own without paying $ 15.00 a pop. It just seems pointless and hopeless.

I've asked both my doctor and PT all the questions I asked you guys, and there response was "Give it time. You SHOULD get better".

So, again, I apologize if I'm being annoying but I'm in a bad time in my life right now.

 

[BigBoyJ]

Man, you're gonna get better. I've never torn a pec, but I did saw my hand off, so I know a little about recovery. I had to have all tendons and muscles reattached. It took about two years for me to totally regain my strength, but now it's as good as ever. You're just gonna have to go slow. Make sure you're never feeling ANY pulling, or burning pains in the tendons. Keep the reps high and very slowly and progressively increase your resistance. I have no doubt you'll be as good as you ever were and probably better because you'll be smarter for the experience. If I can have an appendage sewn back on and recover, you can recover from a pec tear.

 

[SmellyHat]

You'll recover man, for now you need something else to focus on while your pec tendons heal, im sure 90% of us got a list of injures to use as examples of how amazing the body is at repairing itself, you will just have to give it time, dont aggrevate the area with hard training sooner than what your doc/therapist recommends and when you can train hard, consider turning your negative anxiety about your pec training into positive focus and shift intensity to lower body excersizes (SQUAT). Get into it, think positive, its kind of like the blind kung fu master phenomenon, he cant see his enemy but to survive he has developed other senses....Your training must change, you have to adapt, you can do it, you are the most advanced biological organism ever created in the known universe, my research rats are a close second, and dont forget stallone movies they really help alot....

 

[Jake LaMotta]

Another thing that bothers me is that, even after my surgery, my chest balls up to the center when I do a fly motion. I know I read a post by edge250 and he said that even though he had surgery, his chest is still bunched up too.

I would like to get back into amateur boxing next year. I hope this injury and surgery won't affect my punching power.

 

[sablya]

I've never torn a pec, but I did saw my hand off, so I know a little about recovery.

BBJ, you sawed your hand off!?! That's a helluva story to tell. Good grief. What happened?

 

[muscle96ss]

7 weeks after my torn pec surgery, my chest feels OK, but my bicep is still swollen and hurts as a result of surgery.

What if I had my PT use ultrasound on the area of the bicep that is swollen and hurts? Would that be a good idea? I was thinking it would be good seeing that ultrasound increases blood flow and reduces inflammation.

So next time I go to PT should I ask the therapist to do ultrasound on my bicep where it's swollen and hurts?

A couple of questions or points; first off why is bicep swollen? You should not have any bicep side effects from a pec surgery unless the doctor fucked up(sorry, don't mean to make you worry more as I can tell you are stressed out to begin with).

Secondly, you don't get to choose what treatments the PT uses. Trust his decisions or go see another one. Sorry but I am a PT and I can't stand it when patients come in and start telling me what to do or start suggesting I do certain treatments on them.

Lastly, the science behind ultrasound is poor at best. Bottom line, it will do very little to help your healing process.

From what I have heard from your story thus far it appears that they waited too long to begin with to do the surgery. Also, you need to realize that you are only 7 weeks out. The surgical site where they re-attatched the pec is still healing and will be for a long time to come. You need to be patient and let the tissue heal properly or you are going to fuck it up. There is no magic bullet and there is nothing special that you can take or do that is going to make any appreciable difference in this time. I know that is not what you want to hear and it is hard to just sit there and wait; but you have no choice. As others said; Be Patient!!

 

[Jake LaMotta]

muscle96ss, let me clarify a little. It hurts right where the bicep connects to the front delt. My doctor said that is where he drilled the holes in the bone and reconnected the tendons. He told me that the swelling, pain, and numbness are all normal and will go away with time.

I'm in PT right now and they have me doing alot of light dumbell exercises. When I do these I'm not in alot of pain but I can feel it where he repaired. I heard when you do PT exercises you're supposed to be pain free. Should I stop doing these or is it normal to experience a little pain when I do these?

Like I said before, another thing that concerns me is that when I do a fly motion, my pec bunches up in a ball. It's obvious it's still swollen. If my doctor repaired this...why in the hell is it still swollen and balled up?

And muscle96ss, as for me not getting the surgery right away, that was not my fault. My first doctor was a complete idiot and told me (even after looking at an MRI) that it was just a strain. After doing PT for 6 weeks and not feeling one bit better, I finally went to another doctor and got another MRI. I than had surgery with the new doctor. I'm afraid that the fact that he only reconnected 80% of my tendon (the other 20% was too scarred down to repair) will prevent me from getting all my size and strength back.

Sorry to sound like a cry baby but this is frustrating. I sent you a PM. If you get some time, please get back to me, I would appreciate it.

If you want, you can check out my timeline for rehab and recovery here:

http://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17475

 

[muscle96ss]

Thanks for clarifying the biceps pain. It may feel like it is the biceps but it should not have anything to do with the biceps as it is simply the bone underneath the biceps.

In terms of pain, you should not be in any significant pain right now; a little pain is ok but anything more signifies you need to back off a bit.

The fact that he was only able to repair 80% of the tear is probably why you have the disfigurement in the chest. Obviously some fibers have retracted and balled up. This would not have occurred had the first doctor properly diagnosed you. Your pecs will probably always look unsymmetrical would be my guess. However, most of your strength should return, but probably not all as again you have some fibers that probably can't be activated.

You should be focusing on shoulder ROM and IR and ER strengh right now as well as elbow and wrist isotonics. Around 10 weeks post-op you should begin light bench pressing and around 3 months you should be turned loose. That is a basic overview, but protocols vary greatly between physicians. The therapist should also be doing a shitload of soft tissue at the surgical site to break up the scar tissue and ensure proper tissue remodeling.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

muscle96ss I sent youa PM, did you get it?

Anyway, I understand what you are saying. I realize I will never be as big and as strong as I previously was. I realize my pecs will always look uneven. And I realize my ROM will probably never be as good. Here are my realistic goals that I set:

1) I know I will never be the same, but I would like to be big and strong again. I want my muscles to be solid and I want to have a good built. I realize I will never look like I did before, but I would like to atleast have respectable size and strength .

2) I would one day like to amateur box again. Do you think this injury permanently weakened my punching power?

3) I would one day like to give submission wrestling and grappling another shot. Do you think this injury will prevent me from ever doing this?

4) I would like for one day this tendon to be 100% healed to the point where it's not likely to retear if I participate in the above mentioned activities. I want this tendon to hold up if I ever fight, wrestle, box, lift weights, move furniture, do construction, etc. Once this is healed will this be more likely or less likely to retear?

5) I would like to do the above mentioned activities PAIN FREE.

So what do you think of my realistic goals...are they realistic?

 

[Jake LaMotta]

The therapist should also be doing a shitload of soft tissue at the surgical site to break up the scar tissue and ensure proper tissue remodeling.

What do you mean by that? Right now my PT is just stretching me out and I am doing rotator cuff exercises and some other shoulder strengthening exercises. What do you mean he should be doing "a shitload of soft tissue at the surgical site to break up the scar tissue and ensure proper tissue remodeling"?

Also, one more thing, the other day I saw my doctor and I told him I was still nervous I retore this and the tendon wasn't intact. He told me that he would be able to tell if my tendons were intact by feeling my pecs and shoulders. I thinkit's called palpation. He than proceeded to dig into my pecs and shoulders with his hands and fingers and said "yup, I can feel a tendon, it's definitly intact. You're tendon is definitly there".

My question is, is it true that he could've told if my tendon was intact by just feeling my pec and shoulder? Is he BS'n me or should I just take this as good news and stop worrying?

 

[Jake LaMotta]

Another thing, I spoke with my PT today. He said we will continue doing ultrasound and will start deep tissue massage today. He also said the discomfort I feel when I do these exercises is normal and will go away with time.

Here is my new PT routine that I do M W F with my physical therapist:

1. PT does ultrasound
2. PT does deep tissue massage
3. PT stretches me out
4. 6 minutes on arm bike
5. I than start my exercises. All of them I do 3x10:

Prone row
Horizontal abduction with external rotation
Searratus punches
Tricep press ups
Scaption exercise
Front dumbell raises (with thumbs pointing up)
Bicep curls
Seated tricep pushdowns
Cable Internal rotation
Cable External rotation

6. After my exercises. I ice my pec/shoulder/bi for 8 minutes.

How does that look?

 

[BigBoyJ]

BBJ, you sawed your hand off!?! That's a helluva story to tell. Good grief. What happened?

Had the guard tied back on a circular saw. I was cutting a short 1x12. The saw jumped back across the top of my right hand and took that sucker off. It kind of sucked.

 

[sablya]

Had the guard tied back on a circular saw. I was cutting a short 1x12. The saw jumped back across the top of my right hand and took that sucker off. It kind of sucked.

Outrageous! I can't imagine how that must have felt. What about the artery? And they just sewed it back on? And you have full use of it today? Heavy weights don't bother it? Can you do "delicate" things like play guitar or whatever?